“You’re a snake, you know,” Reina hissed as she looked across to the sofa opposite her, eyes narrow as she sized Alan up with evident frustration on her face. His admittance to revealing their location to Ormain and his team had sent the atmosphere in the already cold room down to freezing, but despite Reina’s insult he didn’t seem concerned. Trim’s hand hovered by her pistol which sat on the kitchen counter, while Jade had also casually reached for her own. Both Rop and the other woman, however, didn’t even move, instead acting as though nothing had happened. Alan’s team seemed to be so calm over the situation that it left Nina confused. Where their confidence was coming from, she didn’t know.

“Maybe so, but you should have known that this could happen,” Alan said with a shrug. “Ruryn Company is everywhere, it’s not something that you can go up against even if you wanted to.”

“We’re getting pretty good at avoiding organizations these days,” Svanda said as she stood up before strolling over to the table, reaching for her rifle unopposed. “What makes you think that you’re harder to dodge than SuTSU?”

“We’re not,” he conceded with a casual wave of his hand. “But right now you can’t really afford to have any more problems stacking up on the other side of the fence, can you? What’s the point in making an enemy out of us when we can still be friends?”

“Funny kind of friendship this is,” Reina retorted. “I think the word you’re looking for is extortion.”

Alan sighed before uncrossing his legs, clasping his hands together instead as he leaned forward and looked Reina in the eye. Nina felt slightly uncomfortable now that Svanda had left the table, and the chill from Reina’s glare seemed to radiate out across the sofa. The tension in the room was thick, and even she of all people could see that Trim and Jade were ready to reach for their weapons. One word from Reina was all it would take to send this meeting in one of two wildly different directions, and for once she didn’t know which path was the better one.

“You need us,” Alan said as though he could see the crossroads in her head. “Whether it’s getting away from your SuTSU friends next door or cleaning up the mess that my sister has landed you in, I’m the only person who can get it all done on time for a price that you can afford. I’ll make concessions as I admit that this whole SuTSU part wasn’t in the original script, but I’m not going to apologise either. Think of it as a lesson, albeit an expensive one.”

A lesson to never trust you again, Nina thought as she stood up and moved towards the window. Her move immediately attracted the attention of everyone in the room as the moment was balanced on a knife’s edge, but she couldn’t stand being so close to the exchange of barbs. Alan was speaking the truth in at least some form, as The Cloud Orchestra was a drop in the ocean compared to Ruryn Company if what she had heard was anything to go by. Alan had practically nothing to lose right now, and his attitude showed it. Reina trying to drag them all down together was probably the only thing that could go wrong for him right now, but even Nina herself knew that Reina wouldn’t be so self-destructive. He didn’t need their trust because not only did he have what they needed, he would also continue to have what they needed in the future if they were trying to grow as an organisation.

“And so how do you propose we get out of this?” Reina finally asked with a frown. Alan smiled at the concession, and Nina found herself irked at the sense of smugness. It was similar to Julia, that unspoken impression where they wanted to make everyone aware that they were driving the negotiation. Again, little they could do, because as usual they were unfortunately correct.

“I’ve got three rifles with me. KeyRound S-250’s,” he shrugged. “I’ll sell you one, two, or even all three if you want to be safe about things. At a discount of course considering what I’ve put you through, but in the end I’ve still got to make a margin.”

“You came prepared,” Svanda said with a low whistle. “Ormain couldn’t afford to carry anything that heavy-duty around, and you know it.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” he replied with a smile. “Knowing what my customers need is just part of the job.”

Nina held her temptation to make a snide comment about forcing a customer’s need and could see from the corner of her eye that Jade had done the same. It wasn’t their place to step into this conversation, although she hoped that it would soon move in another direction. She hadn’t forgotten that Rucille and her team were yet another wildcard in this situation, and while they might not be on their doorstep they were a problem that they couldn’t underestimate. Ormain might be a more immediate threat, but Rucille had more men behind her and probably also a healthy balance from the Zaffre Royal coffers above to work with.

“What’s the timeframe?” Reina asked.

“We’ll leave tomorrow morning,” Alan replied before pausing for a moment. “Your SuTSU friends are probably somewhere in the vicinity by now, however, so I’d suggest that you come to a decision soon.”

“We’ll think about it and let you know,” Reina finally said before turning her attention to the window. “Between now and then, get out of my sight.”

Alan smiled at the comment, hiding whatever offence he had taken before rising from the sofa. After offering Reina a shallow bow instead of words, he then headed across the living area towards the stairs after throwing Nina a smile. Rop lead the way out while the other woman brought up the rear in what seemed to be their usual formation, Alan ignoring the rest of them as he ascended. The room was silent besides their footsteps on the concrete, and for a moment Nina could have sworn that the entire group was holding their breath. It was only after the door above them closed that she finally breathed out, and judging by the tension suddenly diffusing around her it seemed that the rest had done the same.

Alan was gone, for now.

“What audacity,” Reina said with a sigh as she flopped back, sinking into the sofa. Her head tilted back in resignation as she stared at the ceiling above her, a difficult to read expression appearing across on her face. “Unbelievable.”

Nobody said a word as they all remained where they were, each member of the group clearly lost in thought. Nina knew that Reina would have worked through a solid game plan before going into her meeting with Alan, but his declaration which forced them into a corner had thrown everything out the window. Being back to square one was bad enough in itself, but somehow they had managed to do it while also picking up an Ormain-sized handicap to go with it.

Svanda was the next to move, dropping her rifle back on the table with a wry smile before pulling a chair out for herself. Jade’s pistol soon joined it, while Trim’s hands returned to her pockets. The trouble was over for now, but their respite would be short lived. Ormain certainly wouldn’t be brazen enough to stage an assault on the island just yet, but each passing hour would be nothing but extra time for him to set up whatever he was planning to do.

“How expensive are they?” Aline finally asked, breaking the silence before it dragged on for too long. It was a question that Nina wanted to know the answer for too, but any mention about Reina unwillingly spending money tended to be a sensitive subject. The fact that her calm façade showed cracks was enough to let everyone know that she was seething below the surface, so as a result Nina silently gave praise to Aline’s nerve.

“Out of our price range expensive,” Svanda said, answering instead of Reina. “Nothing that we should ever have a need for, it’s serious hardware. Fully assembled, they’re probably taller than you are.”

Aline frowned before looking up into space beside her, probably trying to picture just how large the rifles would be. Nina certainly wouldn’t be handling one, and to be honest she would be surprised if any of them besides Svanda and Trim could anyway. Jade and Aline were both capable people, but they weren’t soldiers. Saela of all people, wherever she was, might have a trick up her sleeve to surprise her yet again, but learning to use equipment like that generally didn’t happen overnight.

“We’re not buying them,” Reina said before her thoughts could continue. They watched as she stood before pacing in Nina’s direction, finally coming to a stop beside her while she gazed out the window. The anger that had shown in hints on her face just before had already been buried, and Nina already knew that she was calculating their answer. Hopefully it wouldn’t be as farfetched as the wall stunt she had heard about from the rescue mission on Zaffre’s, but when it came to Reina her ideas always seemed to be from somewhere inexplicable. It was probably a good thing when it all boiled down, her ideas had dragged them through a series of close shaves while managing to somehow keep them all in one piece.

“We can’t take the fight to Ormain with what we’ve got,” Trim pointed out. “Two rifles aren’t enough. They’ll have better equipment and they’re probably better shots than we are too.”

Nina didn’t know where their second rifle was supposed to come from, but she didn’t ask.

“Speak for yourself,” Svanda smiled. “Although I don’t think we should buy them either. A KeyRound would be nice, but they’re as good as anchors if Ormain doesn’t come to us. Don’t forget that we have to leave eventually while they can afford to wait around.”

Reina nodded as she folded her arms, eyes still locked on the ocean. Nina hadn’t thought about what Svanda had said, but it made sense. A rifle like that wasn’t useful if they needed to break out from containment, and it would be impossible to get use out of it if they were on a rocking boat too. If they were planning to dig in and wait Ormain out it might have been an efficient strategy, but time was something that they didn’t have. Rucille being added into the mix was another concern, but she wouldn’t say that just yet. Reina was probably about to make a decision, and her choice would almost certainly have a profound impact on the rest of their stay on Areinis.

Her soft chuckle was a stark contrast to the mood before she turned to face the group. Nina noted that a smile had returned, and just for a moment she thought that everything might just somehow turn out alright. How it would happen she would find out soon enough, but then again moments like were starting to become common fare with The Cloud Orchestra.

“Alright,” she finally said. “Let’s go and strike a deal with that bastard.”